Sampology Plays Shows To Help You Have Sex

Let's be real, the majority of 'AV shows' that accompany DJ sets are made up of obvious GIFs, strobing LEDs and monotonous repeating video loops of camp pop culture references that make you want to neck yourself.

One guy that is trying to buck this trend is Sampology. He's fucking with the ideals of an AVDJ show and forging his own brand of explosive multi-sensory experiences. He's slayed every festival stage in Australia including the Big Day Out, Falls Festival and Sydney Festival as has began making waves overseas with appearances at SXSW, Berlin Music Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival; making him the single most successful, worthwhile thing to come from Brisbane since they filmed Daybreakers there.

THUMP: So what the fuck is an AVDJ show?
Sampology:It's basically just me on stage with a bunch of equipment. Behind me is a really massive screen, so I'm controlling both the sound system and the screen at the same time trying to tell a story that'll freak you out in the best way possible.

What equipment are you using, exactly?
There's an MPC-1000, there's two turntables, there's a mixer, there's a laptop running a few different types of software. I've got cameras pointed at the turntables that mixes into the visuals live to show people that I'm manipulating the stuff live.

In terms of visuals what kind of shit do you try and project?
There's really no rule for it. I started out with music videos and just things from movies but since then I've gone in-depth with basically any visuals that I can find to rework on the Internet—the same source I started with. There's a lot of my own content that I create for the show, in terms of text and illustration with overlays the other stuff I've been using a lot more in the few years - to give my show its own kind of look.

When did you get into DJ-ing? I didn't even know there were nightclubs in Brisbane.
I was in high school; I got into it before I was able to go to nightclubs. When I first started DJ-ing it was generally a lot more between live acts at venues rather than at nightclubs.

So you were introduced to the performance side of things rather than thrashing out meaningless bangers.
I'm really grateful for that. My introduction to nightlife was through people coming to check out things, rather than just going out to get really drunk and hook up.

When did you make the transition from DJ to AVDJ?
It was something I always wanted to do, but until 2008 it was just too expensive to do what I wanted to do. That's when the technology to allow you to really mix audio and visual in-sync first started to really take off.

You're currently midway through your "Stimulation" tour. I'm assuming the show contains a lot of phallic imagery and suggestive videos?
Ha, yeah pretty much.

Are you trying to get people laid after they witness your shows?
That was the original plan, but it went one better at my last show in Sydney at FBi's 10th birthday when two people were having sex during the show in the dark at the side of the stage.

For a pretty calm dude, you really know how to make people lose their shit.

Sampology's Stimulation tour is happening now. For tickets click here.